Mission Impossible!

I just got back from Argentina.  It was excellent. Tiring, at times stressful (complete search of luggage in customs, and 'no speaky Spanish' - thank goodness for rubber gloves...) but overall very good.

The trip began with a detailed search of my luggage after landing in Argentina.  OK, not just normal luggage for 4 days.  I brought down 6 bins of 'stuff' for the boat.  I am sure I looked somewhat suspicious, pushing a cart, pulling a dolly and balancing an 8 foot black tube full of fishing rods and an MOB pole.  I didn't even make it to the back of the green 'express nothing to declare line' before the customs officials flagged me over.  He was watching me the whole time...probably thinking "WTF?  Does this guy really think he can slide through customs and not declare anything??"  That is what I was thinking...but....

In the end, I spoke no Spanish.  He spoke no English.  We spent the better part of 45 minutes going through every bin and piece of luggage I carried.  He was trying to explain to me I needed to pay something.  I was trying to explain to him I didn't need to pay anything.  In the end, we shook hands and he let me pass.  WHEW.  It was painful.  Needless to say I am not looking forward to our next trip in 2 weeks...with 9-10 bins of stuff!!!

Second item on my list was to check out the progress of our boats.  Neil also sent me a list of items to review.  In summary our boats are both progressing well.  I have put on the web all of the pictures from the trip.

Showing up at the factory makes a BIG difference on progress.  When I arrived my boat was in two pieces.  When I left later that day, it was in one piece!  WOW.  I should show up more often! ;-)  In all seriousness, the deck did go on that afternoon.  I was just lucky to have been there for the 'before' and 'after' pictures.

The final item on my list was to find a place to live.  It is hard enough to find a house or condo to buy/rent in the US.  So many options, different locations, price points, etc.  Imagine doing this in 2 days in a foreign county and 'no speaky Spanish'.  Well, FORTUNATELY I had a list of items to consider from Sarah (grin):

For an apartment:

Location:

-not too high up in building for safety and peace of mind
-close to grocery store and shopping
-within walking distance to a park
-relatively quiet neighborhood (not near a fire station or anything!)

Layout:

-2 bedrooms (one preferrably with twin beds or bunks)
-open/spacious kitchen
-overall open floor plan
-full bath and half bath
-laundry facilities
-reasonable storage space in bedrooms
-no pets previously/ non-smoking
-maid service would be fantastic!

So with my list from Sarah, I was not overly optimistic I could meet all the criteria in two days -- in a foreign city of 3 million people and yes...'no speaky Spanish'.  After 2 days of literally walking 15+ miles around the Recoleta and Palermo barrios (districts) with cell phone and listings - I found the perfect place in Recoleta (more info here on Recoleta Barrio).  It surprisingly meets almost all of Sarah's criteria -- most importantly maid service (grin)!  Pics of our new place are below:

Well,  after 4 days, walking 15+ miles, many taxis, jerky sign language and 'no speaky Spanish', I can happily report:

 Mission accomplished!!